After a miserable 8-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Utah Hockey Club needed a good game to improve their spirits and rebound. While they couldn’t get the win against the Florida Panthers on Friday, they played a much better game and kept it close, ultimately losing 2-1 in overtime to the Panthers. Here are some takeaways from the game.
Kevin Stenlund Returns to Florida
For the second straight game, a Utah player has returned to his former home for the first time. On Thursday, against the Lightning, it was Mikhail Sergachev, who won two Stanley Cups during his time with the franchise. On Friday, against the Panthers, it was Kevin Stenlund’s turn to get one last applause from the fans in Sunrise.
Stenlund didn’t have a lengthy career with the Panthers, but he managed to make a massive impact on the franchise’s history. In 81 games, he only had 15 points, but it was his faceoff percentage that really helped the Panthers win. By the end of the season, Stenlund had a 51.4% faceoff win percentage.
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In his 24 playoff games, Stenlund only had one point. However, that point ended up being a big one, as he tallied an assist off the goal that was the series winner against the Lightning. Perhaps the moment he’s most known for was a couple of series later in the Stanley Cup Final, where he helped kill off an Edmonton Oilers power play with no stick.
After winning the Stanley Cup with the Panthers, Stenlund secured a contract with Utah. However, he still cherishes his time with the Panthers. Of course, winning a cup will help you do that, but he says that being back in Sunrise brought up a lot of good memories.
“A lot of memories (here),” Stenlund said. “A lot of joy (here). Last year was great here.”
Stenlund received a tribute video, and as expected, the crowd got loud when they saw him lift the Cup. While his time with the Panthers was short, he was a critical part in helping the franchise win their first-ever championship. For that, he’ll always be remembered and loved by Panthers fans.
Here’s Kevin Stenlund’s tribute video:
— Chase Beardsley (@ChaseBeardsley_) March 28, 2025
He was only in Florida for a year but the fans know he was an important part of the Panthers’ championship especially during his stick-less PK shift in the finals against Edmonton. #UtahHC https://t.co/CLmu2ef8kp
Utah’s Struggling Offense
Utah’s offense has been an issue for the past couple of games. In the past three games, they’ve been outscored 15-2. Now, obviously, defense hasn’t been helping out much either, and it seems like the blueline could take a hit as Olli Määttä exited the game early with an injury. However, if you take a look at Utah’s offensive opportunities, it clearly paints a picture of a forward group that hasn’t been performing well.
Utah was outshot by a wide margin. The Panthers had 32 shots, while Utah had 14. If you remember the team’s past couple of games, you’ll remember that they outshot most of their opponents. In this game, the power play revealed the struggles of the forward group.
Once again, Utah didn’t score on their power play opportunities, despite having four. They’ve routinely struggled on the power play, and it really feels like something Utah needs to fix. It looks even worse for them when you see that they gave the Panthers six different chances to try to score on the man advantage.
Penalties really mounted up for Utah, and it led to Sam Bennett’s second-period goal on the power play. The team really needs to focus on staying out of the box, as they’ve racked up eight penalties on this trip alone so far.
Overall, it wasn’t a bad game for Utah, as we’ll get into the good in a second. However, discipline and offense need improvement. It seemed like the offense improved from the last game after head coach André Tourigny switched the lines around before Friday’s game. Dylan Guenther was bumped up to the top line with Clayton Keller and Logan Cooley. That line was easily Utah’s best line on Friday, generating multiple opportunities throughout the game.
Nick Schmaltz was bumped down to the second line, and Kailer Yamamoto was inserted into the lineup in place of Michael Carcone. Yamamoto was okay, but he wasn’t that noticeable in his 10:28 of ice time.
Funny enough, it was a defenseman who scored the lone Utah goal. Barrett Hayton retrieved the puck and raced up ice on a two-on-one opportunity. Hayton slid the puck over to Sean Durzi, who was on the other side. Durzi shot it and scored, tying the game and ending Utah’s goal drought that had been going on for the past seven periods.
“We know we hadn’t scored in seven periods and (were) just happy to see one go at even strength,” Durzi said.
Utah Had a Better Effort
As mentioned, it was a better effort for Utah all around. It seemed like everyone was on board for the game, which was certainly not the case in Tampa on Thursday.
Utah seemed more physical in Friday’s game. They needed to be as Brad Marchand debuted for the Panthers, which added to the number of “pests” the team has in its lineup. Everyone also seemed more in sync, which helped with the passes like the one that set up Durzi for his goal.
No one really coasted along on Friday. Everyone had a decent game where they tried their best and kept the defending Stanley Cup champions within a goal, forcing them into overtime.
“We had no passengers today,” Tourigny said. “Everybody was engaged. Everybody was connected. I’m really proud of them.”
It’s the exact opposite of what happened in Tampa, which is what Utah really needed. After losing 8-0, social media took turns at making fun of the team. It was nothing short of embarrassing. Utah’s main goal going into their game against the Panthers was not to let that happen again. Thanks to some hard work, history didn’t repeat itself.
“I loved our intensity today,” Durzi said. “I thought we had the right mindset. What happened in Tampa happened in Tampa. Everybody and their grandmother knows that was not a good effort.”
Karel Vejmelka also bounced back on Friday night as he played the full game, only letting in two goals, and recording a .938 save percentage. While Vejmelka’s 16 straight starts need to end at some point, he proved during the game that it wasn’t a mistake to let him start so many games as of late.
While a win might’ve been nice, Utah will take the fact that they pushed the Panthers to overtime. It wasn’t a perfect game by the team, but it was way better than the 8-0 loss to the Lightning. Utah rebounded quickly from the worst loss in franchise history and restored some hope that they can finish strong in the final nine games of the season.
“Our belief hasn’t wavered,” Durzi said. “The staff gives us confidence to go out and play our game. We just have to execute. It’s on nobody but us.”
Utah will finish off its road trip on Sunday against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks are 21-43-9 this season and are coming off a 5-3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. These two teams last met earlier this month, where Utah lost 4-3 in overtime.
